1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to archery bows and, more specifically, to archery bow holders for field use.
2. Description of the Art
Bow hunters frequently use a blind, such as an elevated tree stand, to provide an unobstructed field of view of an area traversed by game animals and to place the hunter above the normal horizontal line of sight of such animals. As hunters may wait for many hours for game animals to approach the blind, most hunters desire to have a convenient holder to temporarily store an archery bow while not in use. Such a bow holder must also enable the hunter to quickly retrieve the bow and to bring the bow and arrow into a firing position.
Since a conventional tree stand includes a foot platform and a seat, various bow holders have been devised for attachment to the front edge of the platform. These holders receive the lower end of one of the bow limbs to support the bow in a generally upright, vertical position. However, such a mounting arrangement is subject to inadvertent release of the bow from the holder if the bow is inadvertently touched by the hunter or due to a gust of wind. Other bow holders are of a makeshift variety and employ nails or hooks which are attached to tree limbs or tree trunks to temporarily hold an archery bow. However, the availability of tree limbs at the proper position in front of the hunter is not always possible, particularly where the hunter desires to position the tree stand with an unobstructed field of view in front of the stand.
Furthermore, temporarily mounting bows by means of hooks or nails to tree trunks positions the bow in a location which is not easy for the hunter to quickly reach and one which requires excessive movement by the hunter in reaching for the bow which may startle the game animal.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an archery bow holder which overcomes the deficiencies of previously devised bow holders for use in the field. It would also be desirable to provide an archery bow holder which positions the bow at an easily retrievable position in front of a hunter located in a tree stand. It would also be desirable to provide an archery bow holder which securely retains the bow in a storage position and which enables a hunter to easily and quickly remove the bow from the holder without excessive movement. It would also be desirable to provide an archery bow holder which is easily mountable and dismountable from a tree trunk.